Better Storytelling By Design

Echelon: Powers

Powers are the primary abilities of a character. They are the means by which characters will affect their environment. Powers may be thought of as the tools of various professions. Wizards cast spells, priests channel the gods through prayers, and rangers strike from a distance with archery.

Gaining Powers

During character creation, you may allocate 3 ranks into any power or combination of powers. After character creation, you gain powers by purchasing them with Experience Points. Powers cost the rank being purchased multiplied by 5 for Powers favored by your race or multiplied by 7 for any other Power.

Using Powers

Each Power has a key skill listed in brackets next to its name. Each rank of a Power has in its description the following: name, cost (if any), action type, resolution method, damage type (if any), and effect type (if any). To use a power you must be able to perform the action type (free, swift, immediate, move, standard, full-round, or extended) and have the necessary amount of Vitality or Mana to spend for the Power’s cost.

After paying the Power’s cost, you roll a d20 and add the character’s rank in the Power and its key skill to the roll and it must overcome either a static DC or the target’s appropriate Defense listed in the Power rank’s resolution method.

Artifice [Craft]

Artifice governs the ability to create, forge, and craft things beyond the mundane. It is the art of weaving dweomers into the worked steel of a sword, binding an enchantment upon a freshly forged ring, and hammering magical vestments into plate mail. It also covers the manufacture of golems and other constructs as well as the brewing of potions.

Alchemy

Alchemy is the art of brewing potions, distilling elixirs, and concocting oils. An alchemist can infuse just about any effect into liquid form, providing an easy to use resource that can be kept in reserve for when it is most needed. The source of these mystical fluids may be supplied from magical or natural elements.

Automata

Automata is the purview of artificers who wish to either make life easier by delegating mundane tasks to constructs or play god by striving to instill sentience into something fashioned by their own hands. Either way, assembling and animating automatons can lead to misfortune should an artificer’s creations break free from her control.

* Clockwork Create small devices and automatons that do repetitive tasks** Homunculus Create a small servant from your own flesh*** Lesser Golem Create golems with simple instructions**** Greater Golem Create golems with more complex instructions***** Spark of Life Instill a form of sentience in one of your creations

Imbue

Imbue allows artificers to instill magical properties upon mundane items. Legendary weapons, enchanted armors, and mystical rings have all been crafted by an artificer utilizing the Imbue power. Many traps in treasure laden tombs have been enhanced by a royal artificer to keep the raiders and looters at bay.

* Limited Enhance Enhance weapons or armor for a limited time** Minor Enhance Give small permanent enhancements on equipment*** Minor Dweomer Imbue equipment with lesser dweomers such as frost**** Major Enhance Give large permanent enhancements on equipment***** Major Dweomer Imbue equipment with greater dweomers such as haste